UFC Fight Night 26's Yuri Alcantara wanted to train with Urijah Faber

BOSTON – Had things worked out differently, Yuri Alcantara might be feeling a little more awkward about his upcoming fight with Urijah Faber.

Alcantara (28-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) flirted with the idea of training at the Team Alpha Male gym where Faber (28-6 MMA, 4-2 UFC) hangs his hat.

The two might have made for some spirited sparring, but the Brazilian Alcantara, who most recently beat Iliarde Santos at UFC on FX 8, didn’t wind up making the trek for Sacramento, Calif., where Faber’s gym resides.

Good thing, because not long afterward, they were booked to fight each other at UFC Fight Night 26, which takes place Saturday at TD Garden in Boston.

“I was looking forward to [training with Faber], but it kind of worked out in the right way, because it’s awkward to fight someone I already trained with,” Alcantara said during an open workout in support of the event. “If the opportunity presents itself again, I’d be glad to do it.”

Alcantara vs. Faber serves on the FOX Sports 1-televised main card of the event. It’s the biggest name Alcantara has faced since joining the UFC two years ago.

Team Alpha Male this past year hired a new head coach, Duane Ludwig, to oversee operations. Faber, who’s won his past two, is the longtime patriarch of the gym and arguably is the most popular fighter in the lighter divisions of the UFC. Alcantara, however, shared a connection with the former WEC champ’s jiu-jitsu coach and wanted to improve his skills.

The extra work could’ve come in handy, but Alcantara said he’s ready to prove he’s the next biggest thing in the division.

“For sure, it’s the biggest fight of my career, but even though Urijah is a great fighter, everyone in the UFC is a great fighter,” Alcantara told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “If I beat him, my career will be on the next level, for sure.”

Alcantara doesn’t see any design in Faber’s career trajectory of winning several non-title fights and then losing bouts for the belt. He nonetheless will try to hand Faber the first consecutive loss of his career.

“I’m ready to fight him, and I’m going to change the fact that he did so well in non-title fights on Saturday,” Alcantara said.

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